Bye, bye old washer!

Last Thursday while I was finishing up my ironing, I was running the washing machine as well, catching up on laundry. Since we had gotten back from our Christmas vacation, the washer was making a lot of noise each time I used it.

Well, last week it stopped making noise. Instead, it started leaking! Thankfully there is a drain on the floor near the washer, but still, to have our washer leaking did not indicate anything good!

We discussed our options. We got the washer with our house, and as I looked through the manuals, I found out that the washer was already 19 years old. We didn't really want to pay to have someone come out and fix it, not knowing if it was fixable in the first place.

Our second option was to buy. We went to Home Depot to look, and the salesman (when he finally got around to coming by!) was really pushing a certain brand that was out of our price range. We didn't like the fact that he was pushing it so much.

Then we headed out to Lowes. They had some sales going, and in the end we got a Frigidaire washer and dryer. They just put out a new model, so this one had gone down in price, as well as being on sale. Oh--and the salesman told us why they were pushing the other model so much at Home Depot--it is made overseas, so the profit margin is greater for the company.

We get our new washer and dryer on Saturday. I am looking forward to getting them! I don't think I will even mind the trek up and down the basement stairs in order to use them (um, for a while anyhow! Hahaha).

The washer is a front loader. Since we pay for city water, we're hoping it will really cut our bill down, as well as our gas. So...should I do laundry or not this week? It's a good excuse to not do any! =)

Winter is back!

After enjoying 40-something consecutive days of above-average winter weather, winter has come back to us! It's snowing today. We're supposed to get snow every 12 hours or so, into next week. We'll see what happens! The snow is pretty, and it's nice to have winter back. =)

Finally!

Tonight I ironed clothes that I haven't even looked at since before Christmas! I got all my ironing caught up! I have literally spent hours ironing since we've gotten back from our Christmas vacation, but I never got to the bottom of the pile before more was added to it. It *was* such a good feeling to be caught up. Alas, I've been doing laundry tonight, so there is more ironing waiting for me!

Speaking of Socks...

When I was little, my mom found a cartoon in the back of a magazine that she cut out and kept. She kept it for a good long time, and got a good laugh whenever she read it. It's still funny even if you can't see it. Just imagine:

A lady in her back yard with a big pile of socks on the ground. She's holding a lit match over the pile. Her neighbor is leaning over the fence.

"What are you doing?"

"Matching my socks!"

My mom joked often about "matching" the socks, but quite honestly, she wasn't too thrilled when she had to go out and buy new socks for everyone after the paper sack episode. And no, she wasn't the one who threw them away. One of us kids did that (unknowingly, of course!).

Old Socks

Last night I pulled out a pair of socks to wear to bed (have to keep my feet warm!), and realized that they were socks I've had forever. OK, not really "forever", but a pretty long time!

I'm 29 years old, and I've had them since I was 16 years old or so. I remember getting them--they were in a package that had three different pairs in them. I liked all three pairs, but alas, the other two pairs were doomed to a sad demise.

My mom had put all the socks to be matched in a paper grocery sack.

Someone called and said they were coming by.

We also put our trash in paper grocery sacks. Get the picture? As we picked up the living room to ready it for our visitors, we put the trash into the sock bag. The sock bag went out with the trash before we realized we were missing socks.

Since the socks hadn't been matched in a while, most of our socks were in that bag. My mom had to then go out and buy socks for the whole family! I don't recall her putting socks into a paper grocery sack anymore! (Hmmmm...I wonder why???)

It's too bad that the other two pairs got thrown out! I might still be wearing them! LOL

Hospitality

Kevin and I have discovered that hospitality is not a lost art. At least, it isn't in our church. We were quite busy last weekend. We had our youth pastor and his family over for dinner on Friday night, and then Saturday we went to a dinner party, and Sunday after church we were invited to a couple's house to watch the Super Bowl.

We got to talking about who has invited us over for dinner since we've been going to this church (since August):
~the youth pastor
~the pastor
~a couple that was having a bon fire in their back yard
~one of the deacons
~Jessica, a lady my age, who had me over when both Kevin and her husband were gone for the evening
~the dinner party I just mentioned
~and the Super Bowl dinner

This was all in just a few months. On the other hand, we counted how many church member's homes we had been invited to in our previous 5 years of marriage. We counted six homes. We didn't count the youth activities we've had at other people's homes--just the dinners that someone said, "Kevin and Tammy, please come for dinner." We have had quite a bit of company in our house over the years, so it is not as though we're not doing our part.

It takes time and work to have someone over for dinner, and most people don't want to go to that work, I suppose. I know that I greatly appreciate being invited into someone's home. Even if all they've done is order pizza, it still gives you a "warm and fuzzy" feeling to know that they specifically wanted you to come to their home!

Three Cheers for Kevin!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

*Smiles*

Last night Kevin put up the blinds in the hallway window for me, and fixed the bathtub! We have a clawfoot bathtub, and one of the claws (feet?) came off. Actually, we've been having a problem with it popping off every once in a while, whenever it sees fit to come off. So Kevin fixed it last night. It involved a lot of ingenuity on his part, and some clothesline and duct tape! LOL Last night when he informed me that he fixed it, he had the duct tape in his hands, and said, "That should do it!" I asked if you could see the duct tape, and he said, "It depends on how you look at it." So with much fear and trepidation, I walked into the bathroom to see what he had done. *Phew!* As he said, it depends on how you look at it. Well, you pretty much have to lay on the floor under the tub to see the duct tape. Which, I hardly think any of our visitors will do! =)

The blinds look great as well. They are part of my redecorating project, and hopefully soon I will get that hallway absolutely finished! As I was taking off the painting tape, I was noticing spots that need touching up with the main color. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike painting?

Happy February!

Wow! I can't believe January is gone already! I've been so busy, it just flew by!

Last night I finished painting my hallway! I was so glad to finally get it finished! There is so much trim in such a small space, that it took me quite a while to get it all painted. But it's done now! And who needs a Thigh Master when you can paint? With all that trim, I ended up squatting a good portion of the time I was painting. OUCH! My legs hurt now!

On Saturday, I bought curtains and a few things to decorate the hallway with. Tonight after church I'm going to start working on it and get it all "prettied" up. Then I'll post a picture to show off. *Grin*

This morning is much colder than yesterday morning. We're supposed to get a foot of snow on Saturday. I hope not! We shall see what God brings us...the weatherman might be able to pretend to know what's coming, but only God knows for sure!

We're having company on Friday night. Since I painted on Monday and Tuesday, I have a lot of housework to get done between then and now.

I hope everyone has a blessed day!

Raw Potatoes

When I was little, and my mom made anything with potatoes, I always begged to eat a few pieces. I absolutely loved them! My mom would give me a few pieces to make me happy, and I would go on my merry way.

I was thinking about this as I cut my potatoes for tonight's dinner. I always eat a few pieces as I'm cutting them. They are so good and crunchy!

I think raw potatoes is something that is an acquired taste. I don't know how I got started eating raw potatoes, because I can't remember ever seeing my mom eat a piece of raw potato. I remember hearing my pastor say that he liked raw potatoes with salt. So after that, I had to try them with salt. If I remember correctly, I had to sneak that one, because we weren't supposed to eat salt. LOL

Shorts?

The weather has been much "warmer" than usual this month. But that doesn't mean it is warm--just warmer (as in it gets up to 40* or so. I was out shopping today, and I saw a woman in shorts. Brrrrr I got cold just looking at her!

You Can Do it!

The Geico commercial with Tony Little on his Gazelle makes me laugh every time I see it. Tonight I got my exercise at Sears, on a Gazelle! Yep, I CAN do it! LOL

We went to Sears specifically to buy an exercise bike. While we were waiting (and waiting, and waiting, and waiting!) for a salesman, I hopped on the Gazelle and got my exercise in for today! I probably exercised for 10-15 minutes. During that time, someone did come by to help us, but I just listened from where I was.

I don't know if I'd want to actually have one or not. I would probably get bored. But it was something interesting to do while I waited for us to finish shopping!

Cherry Butter

Kevin and I went to a funeral today, and left work a little too early. Along the way to our church is a fruit stand-type store. It is always closed when we go by--they aren't open on Sunday, and they close at 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Since we had the time, we stopped in. They have a lot of different things, including fresh fruit of the season, preserves, and baked goods. I spotted something I just *had* to have--cherry butter. I've had (and made) apple butter, but I've never had cherry butter.

It is so good! Oh, it's made without sugar too. It's sweetened with white grape juice. Yummmmmmy!

I do wish this store were open at least on Wednesday nights. I would love to stop in more frequently. It's a little too far out of our way to make a special trip for.

March of the Penguins

Last night Kevin and I watched the movie March of the Penguins. It was very impressive. After watching this movie, I can only think of how awesome God is. For people to say there is no Creator is to lie. If you have the chance to see this movie, take it. It's well worth the time.

One thing that I was amazed about is that the baby penguins are left on their own in the spring. The males and females all take off, leaving the baby penguins on the ice for a week or longer. Finally, the ice melts and they all jump in the sea. After five years, they will return to the exact spot they were born, and mate and hatch their own baby penguins. Truly remarkable!

Time in my Bible

This morning I was under the weather, so I stayed home from church. It was a very quiet morning, with about an hour spent reading my Bible. Susan posted a wonderful Bible reading schedule, and I've been following it this year. I did get a little behind, but it won't be too hard for me to catch up.

Here is Susan's post: Bible Reading Schedules.

*Big, Contented Sigh*

(And also a tired sigh as well! ;-) )

The house is clean from top to bottom (if you don't count the attic or the basement, that is), and the laundry is done (mostly--I have a few sweaters still to wash, and a set of sheets), and I even went grocery shopping (thank you, Kevin for going with me!).

Today was a good day, very busy, but I got a lot accomplished today.

I am such a S.H.E. What is that? It stands for "Side-tracked Home Executive." I get sidetracked so easily. Kevin says I was reading for an hour today. I do not think it was quite an hour, but he insists that it was. I'll take his word on it. The computer distracts me. I can find all kinds of things to distract me. If I would just put all my attention towards the job at hand, I would get done so much faster.

Oh well, the main thing is that I got all my housework done, and the house is all shiny and clean.

And now I'm off to bed (see, I was on my way to bed, but got a little sidetracked here! LOL). Good night!

It's snowing!

January has been unusual here in Michigan. It has been without much snow. It hasn't been completely devoid of snow, but for most of the month (and the latter part of December too), the ground has been snow-less. We've gotten some snow, but it has been too warm for it to really stick.

Well, tonight it is snowing! It looks quite pretty out. I love it when the snow first falls, and no body has shoveled, or driven on the snow. Otherwise, once people start moving about, the snow becomes dirty and not quite as pretty to look at.

Whenever I say the snow is pretty, people always say I like it because I'm not from around here. :-) The novelty of it will wear off eventually, I guess. But until then, I'll enjoy it. As long as I'm inside. *Grin*

The "Lovely" Michigan Left Turn

When we first moved to Michigan, we were puzzled at certain intersections. There would be a "No Left Turn" sign posted, for no apparent reason. At the intersection in question, we could go straight through it, or turn right. Once, out of desperation to turn left (and noting that no police were around! LOL) Kevin turned left. (Shhh don't tell anyone!)

Finally we figured it out! We even learned that it has a name. Here's an example of what a Michigan Left Turn is like:

Often maligned, often misunderstood, the Michigan Left Turn is an operation which causes much consternation among out-of-state drivers and nary a second thought from locals. Developed in Michigan in 1960...these turning set-ups exist across the entire state, from Niles to Escanaba and from Detroit to Marquette. (Yes, the Upper Peninsula has Michigan Lefts!)

The Michigan Left was developed to avoid the interlocking left-turn movements along divided highways. In this way, the only turning movements allowed at such an intersection are right-hand turns. Traffic lights can be placed at busier Michigan Left intersections if warranted. For the most heavily-used "crossovers," specialized traffic signals may be placed to ensure traffic does not back up on the highway waiting to turn left.

Quote taken from http://www.michiganhighways.org/indepth/michigan_left.html

I'm so excited!

Tonight at church I found out that one of the ladies I frequently talk to is a knitter! She was telling me about some of the things that she has made, and she said she'd try to remember to wear one of her sweaters next Sunday so I can see it.

She said that her mom got her and her sister started in knitting when she was in 7th grade. Her dad thought that the only people that should knit were old ladies, so she didn't knit when he was around. LOL

I've been knitting for several years now, and she is the first non-old lady I've met who knits. *Grin* (And just for your info, I dearly love the old-lady knitters!)

Differences in opinion

Most of the time Kevin and I have the same sense of humor. We laugh over a lot of things together. Yesterday's blond joke was not one of those shared times. In fact, while I thought it was terribly funny, Kevin thought it was terribly stupid. I'm still snickering over it. LOL

THE Blond Joke of all Blond Jokes

Kim posted this blond joke. I admit, it took me a few minutes to figure it out. Nope, I'm not blond. It is quite funny!

Did you believe *every* thing your parents told you?

When I was little, there were a few things that my parents told me that I just didn't believe. For instance, when I was around 5 and 6, we would have taco dinners. My parents would heat up the tortillas in the broiler, and sometimes during our dinner, they would heat up additional tortillas, since we had run out at the table. They always told me, "Be careful, they are hot!" when they gave me one right out of the broiler.

I didn't believe them.

Why? Well, by the time that the thin tortilla had been transferred from the broiler to my plate, it was warm, not hot.

One day, I got one that was super hot! I was stunned. So then I did believe them on that issue!

Another thing that they said, if I happened to be around a paper cutter: "Keep your fingers away, it might cut them off."

I seriously doubted that it would even cut me, much less cut my fingers off, since it had a hard time cutting 5 pieces of paper.

Yesterday at work, I learned to listen to my parents. *Grin* The paper cutter handle doesn't stay up, and as I was cutting some paper, I realized I was cutting something that I didn't want to cut. I reached to grab it, and the handle came sliding down. On my thumb! Ouch!

Of course, it didn't cut my thumb off. But I have a nice little cut on my thumb, that will persist in bleeding if I do not have a bandaid on it.

So, the moral of this story is to listen to your parents. They are always right! *Smiles*

One of my Christmas gifts

My brother made this shelf for me for Christmas. Didn't he do such a good job? He had some help with it, but he drew out the pattern from a picture that I sent him, he stained and painted it, and he put it together.


My kitchen in our new house doesn't have any wall space to hang a shelf on, so I looked on e-bay to try to find a shelf that would fit in the corner on my counter top. The only thing I found was a shelf like this one, only it was way to tall. So I sent the picture to my brother and offered to pay him to make it. He surprised me with it at Christmas!

Mmmmm good!

The other morning I made myself grapefruit juice for breakfast, using Ruby Red grapefruits. The juice turned out so pretty!

Pet Peeve # 3,929

Or something like that! Hahaha I think I have too many pet peeves!

You call a company, and they have you punch in or say your account number (or telephone number). That does what? Waste time so you don't feel you're on hold so long? Any time I have to do this (and I've had to do it twice this week) the first thing they ask for is your account number or telephone number. So what was the point???

Second time same as the first...

(Referring of course, to my post yetserday.) Why must getting up be so hard? But, I did it! Kevin joked last night about "returning" my alarm clock to me, since it was misplaced on his dresser.

I've had a strong dislike for the alarm clock ever since I was little. When I was six years old my parents bought me an alarm clock. I don't remember ever getting up when it went off. Instead, I developed this thing that I must get up when the minute hand was actually on a number (i.e. 7:30, 7:35, etc.). So I would lay in bed, and go to sleep waiting for the right moment to get up. Not a good thing, but when you are six, your mom doesn't rely on your alarm clock to get you up.

My next alarm clock was wonderful. I got that when I was a young teenager. The snooze button delayed the alarm by four minutes. But it also had a feature that I haven't seen before--if you pushed it twice, it would delay the alarm by eight minutes. Push it three times, twelve minutes. Or maybe twenty times...you get the picture! This alarm also had the feature that if you just let the alarm go, it would turn itself off after a minute or two. The minute or two of torture was worth staying in my warm bed. (Of course, it may have annoyed my sisters who were sharing the room with me!)

Since alarm clocks obviously did not do a good job of getting me out of bed, my dad resorted to being my alarm clock. He would come in, turn the fan on, open the blinds, and tell me to get up. Once he played a song from Patch the Pirate at full blast. The title of the song? "It's Time to Get Up". I say he did that once, because after I got up, I put the tape in my drawer, where it stayed for a good long time!

As you can see, getting up in the morning has been a life-long struggle for me! But I'm working on it! Just wait, one of these days I'll actually consider myself a "morning person!"

You'll never believe it...

I got up this morning when my alarm clock went off! What an accomplishment! Hahaha...for me, it truly is! I hate to get up in the morning, and I hate that silly alarm clock making all that noise! I have been known to turn it off, and then pull it into bed with me. Kevin says that I'm "snuggling" with my alarm clock. LOL

Last night I put the alarm clock on Kevin's dresser, which meant that I had to get up, and walk all the way across the bedroom in order to turn it off. This morning I made my bed as soon as I turned that annoying alarm clock off, to prevent me getting back in my bed.

So there! It can be done! *Grin*

Knitting bloggers

Knitting bloggers are everywhere! I started searching for knit blogs shortly before Christmas, and found some that I find interesting to read. It is amazing how many knitting blogs are written. Knitting is quite "the thing" right now. I love to see what people are creating. Knitting is my new addiction. I haven't crocheted anything for a good long time. I thought about starting a crochet project, then I started thinking of all the knitting projects I want to make! Right now I'm working on another pair of socks. Socks are fun to make--really, they don't take that much time, and they can go anywhere. I knitted on my socks quite a bit while we were traveling to California this Christmas.

One thing that I recently came upon is the Clapotis. You can see one at knitty.com. I don't know if I'll make one or not, but they look intriguing. Today I looked at a blog that had a collection of blogger's pictures--there were probably 50 or more pictures of them. They are beautiful. I don't know if I'd actually wear one or not though. It is not a shawl, and it's not really a scarf--it's something in between.

I want to make myself a sweater, but I've yet to find a pattern I like. I'll have to go searching sometime!

My latest read

For Christmas, Kevin gave me Beverly Lewis' newest book, The Preacher's Daughter. I just finished it last evening. As always, the book ends with nothing being resolved (All the books in her series are cliff hangers, the last book in the series wraps everything up). And, as always, I can't wait till the next book in the series comes out! I started reading Beverly Lewis' last series, Abram's Daughters, when the first book came out. That was torturous. I had to wait for her to write and publish each book in the five-book series. I vowed never to read a series of hers until ALL the books in the series were published.

But I couldn't help myself. After all, wouldn't it hurt Kevin's feelings if I didn't read the book he gave me for Christmas? Also, who can let a good book just sit around without reading it? Not I. So read it I did. So now I'm obligated to buy the books as they are published!

Oh, very atypical for me, I did not read the end of the book first. *Grin* Kevin thinks it's awful to read the end first. (Well, I don't really read it first...I read the end after I've gotten into the book, and really, really can't wait to find out what happened!) So, for Kevin's sake, I saved the end for, well, the end! But since it wasn't "the end" of the story anyhow, it didn't make that much of a difference anyhow!

About a year or so ago, I got to meet Beverly Lewis at a book signing she did at a nearby Christian bookstore. She gave a little talk, and then opened the floor for questions. Then she signed books. She is a very sweet lady, and it was fun to briefly meet someone whose work you admire.

What's in YOUR wallet?

Well, not the right card. I guess I'll get carried away by Vikings! Or maybe I will have to combine ALL my holidays into ONE holiday, because I don't have the *right* card. Too bad, so sad.

My wallet currently has in it:
my driver's license
debit card
Citi bank Master Card
a gift card to Kohl's
a credit-card size calender
Kohl's credit card
JC Penney's credit card
Health insurance card
Dental insurance card
Sam's club membership card
My library card
two punchcards for stores I hardly go to
my badge to get into work
three business cards (for businesses that I hardly go to--but want to remember where they are!)
insurance information for our car
four receipts

and NO cash!

That's ALL I have in my wallet! What's in YOUR wallet? =)

Happy New Year!

Wow, 2005 sped by so fast! I look forward to 2006 to see how the Lord will work in my life, and how I can better serve Him.

The start of a new year is a time many people take for making resolutions. I typically take the time on New Year's to write out a list of resolutions. Sometimes I write my resolutions on my birthday (in November). I believe the quote, "If you aim for nothing you hit it every time."

Have you noticed that the advertisements and merchandising at the beginning of the year are focused on: weight loss--weight loss products, exercise equipment, gym memberships, etc.; gum/patches to help one stop smoking; and organizing products. We were in Sam's Club, and Kevin mentioned that the large shelving units that are usually set up to separate the doorways were no longer there. I pointed out that there were products there for resolutions--all kinds of exercise equipment. The merchandisers know how to make their money this time of year.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on the resolutions I make. In fact, I really don't need to spend ANY money on the resolutions I've made. This year, I resolve to:

Have a closer walk with the Lord
Exercise and eat healthy

For my walk with the Lord, I realize I need to get up early (which is something I do not enjoy doing!), and go to bed earlier. With God's help, it can be done!

I already have the dvd's to exercise with. I love to eat healthy foods...I feel so much better when I do! Last year, I went for nine weeks on a diet called "Fit for Life." I have never felt better in my life! It just takes a lot of time in the kitchen, and a lot of vegetables and fruits. But when I take the time, it is so much better for me!

God's blessings on everyone's New Year!

"For purple mountains majesties..."

One thing Michigan does not have is mountains.

When we were in California, we didn't go TO the mountains, but we got to SEE them. I realized how much I miss seeing mountains.

I took a picture, but it really doesn't do justice to them. Kevin took pictures with our camera, and I'm hoping that his turned out much better than mine. (We have to get the film developed.)

Today's a coffee day

Last night I was just about to head off to bed when I saw that a dear friend was online (through instant messaging). So I ended up talking to her late into the night. (Ummmm, actually early into the morning.) So now I'm functioning on little more than five and a half hours of sleep. I'm headed off to get some coffee, which, incidentally, doesn't really seem to wake me up. It is, however, very successful in keeping me awake at night if I've had it any time after 2 p.m. Maybe it will do the trick this time?

Thank you notes

I always write thank you notes for gifts that I've gotten. Right now, I am a little behind, since I haven't written my thank you notes for my birthday presents. I need to do that! Now I can combine them with my Christmas thank you notes!

One year when I was a teenager, I wrote and sent all my thank you notes the day after Christmas. My grandparents got theirs the next day. My grandpa asked me if I had peeked at my gifts before Christmas, and written my thank you notes before Christmas! LOL

When we were stuck in the LA airport for 3 hours this Christmas, I was wishing that I had thought to get a pack of thank you notes. It would have helped to pass time! It was a boring 3 hours, because nothing was open! I don't know if they typically close all their stores at 9 or 9:30 p.m., or if they closed early because of Christmas. I just know that looking IN the store windows wasn't as entertaining as browsing in the stores!

Valentines Day is JUST around the corner!

My sister Holly and I went shopping before Christmas, and when we walked into one of the stores, there right inside the door was a whole section of VALENTINE's stuff. How crazy is that??? Do you want to know when I think of Valentine's Day?

February 14th!

Certainly, I've never thought of, or bought anything for Valentine's Day before Christmas!!!

Our wonderful technology...

Cell phones are great. I admit it, when we had cell phones, it was so handy. But they are annoying when other people use them in stores and hold up lines, or when drivers chat on their phones and don't pay attention to the road. People tend to abuse them in public.

Last night though, I just had to laugh. We landed in the Los Angeles airport and I went into the restroom. There was a lady in a stall chatting on the phone, amidst the WHOOSH of toilets flushing around her. She didn't seem embarrassed at all, she was having a nice little chatty conversation. *giggles*

Some people...

Sunny Side Up

My sister Holly told me to make this post "sunny side up". She said, "You were sick, but you didn't die!"

True.

"You didn't have to go to the hospital!"

True.

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent in bed and laying around the house, either at my grandparents or my parents house. I got sick! What a way to spend my Christmas vacation with my family! I wasn't dreadfully ill (as Holly sweetly pointed out! *grin*), but I certainly didn't feel well either. I guess I had the flu or something. I don't know. So far, nobody else has gotten it. I don't think it was food poisoning, because I ate the same meals everyone else was eating.

I was super glad to wake up this morning and not have a sick stomach! We were going to have lunch at my grandparents yesterday, but since I was sick, we ended up going there today.

We had a nice lunch with them, and then we watched some home videos. Kevin had never seen any of the videos from when I was younger.

Here's a "sunny side up"--the weather here is gorgeous!!! It's been in the 60's all week! There isn't any fog, and the mountains are very visible. This morning I picked a bowl of raspberries from my grandparent's raspberry bushes. I was surprised there were still berries out there! It has been unseasonably warm for this area, but I am glad, because it's a nice respite from the cold snowy weather of Michigan!

Safe and Sound in California!

We arrived in California last night. Whew! We had two connections, so the travelling time was drawn out. It was worth it though! =)

Tracy wanted me to rub in the fact that it is warmer here (right, Tracy??? Hehehe). We realized how much we are acclimated to Michigan winters when we were at the LA airport. We had to be shuttled over to another part of the airport, and before we went outside, we heard two of the workers talking. "Is it cold out?" "Oh, yes, it's COLD out!"

We laughed when we walked outside. It was a "balmy" 60*. We took our coats off and enjoyed the "cold" weather. Hahaha All the men who were working outside had heavy coats and stocking caps on.

We've enjoyed our time so far with our family. Of course, we got in late last night and had church this morning, but we have had some time to talk. My little sisters have grown so much!

I plan on taking lots of pictures, which I will share when I get home!

Tomorrow!

I'm really excited! Tomorrow night we will be in California!!! We are going home for Christmas. We won't have a white Christmas, but who cares!!! I've had enough of the white stuff for a while! LOL

While there, we will get to see each set of grandparents and my great grandma, and of course, my mom, dad, and siblings too!

I'm so excited. I have a ton of stuff that I need to get accomplished today, in order for us to leave tomorrow. And why must I be coming down with a sore throat now? My colds always start with a whopping sore throat. I've been taking all kinds of things to keep it at bay, but so far they aren't working! Boohoo...

I'll try to update my blog from California! If not, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!!

I left the key on the counter...

Today was the last day I cleaned for the office manager at Kevin's work. After we get back from our Christmas vacation in California, she's going to be my office manager too! I'm going to be the new receptionist/adminstrative assistant. Since I will be working full time, I won't have the time to clean her house.

Every time I went to clean, I had two happy greeters in the house. "Moody" and "Snitch" were just sooooo excited to see me every time I came in. Well, let me amend that. They weren't excited to see me the first time I came in--but every time after that they knew me and came bouncing over to me for their petting. They are Australian Terriers, a very "cute" little doggy. =)

I considered keeping the key so I could go in and see what she has done differently to the house each week (LOL I'm just kidding). Every time I went to clean, something was different--rugs, pictures, decorations moved around from room to room, new renovations in the kitchen, new furniture. I talked to her about how she's always moving things around, and she said it kind of bugs her husband. Hahaha he doesn't like to get up in the middle of the night and bump into things that she's moved around. Anyhow, it was so interesting to see how she was always moving things around. I tend to put something in one place, and that will be where it stays until we move. =)

Now that I've cleaned someone else's house, it's high time for me to get my own house clean and ready for our departure! I'm so excited! We're leaving for California in two days!!!

Look!!!

I realize this picture is kind of blurry, but it's the best I could get.

That is an actual snowflake! I don't know if the snow is dryer than usual, or what, but when I left the grocery store and went out to my car, there were snowflakes all over my car. Most of them had distinguishable 6 points too! I've never seen snowflakes like this! It was just so neat, had to share it!

Gift Ideas

I've compiled this list of gift ideas, and have it filed in my computer. It comes in handy sometimes, when I need a little gift for a lady, or perhaps a small collection of gifts. Most of the items are things that we ladies like to use but don't necessarily like to buy for ourselves. I thought perhaps this list might come in handy for stocking stuffers, or little gifts that you might need to pick up.

Barrette, hair stuff
Bath stuff
Bookmark
Books (fictional)
Calendar
Candleholders
Candles
Candy, Candy bars
Cassette Tape—personal message
CD—music
Chocolates
Coffee mug (with tea bags or coffee packet in it)
Coffee—trial size
Decorations—welcome sign
Devotional book
Dish towels/hot pads/dishcloths
Doily
Gel pens
Gum—double mint—“I hope all your blessings are doubled today”
Highlighters
Journal/notebook
Key chain
Lotion
Magazine(s)
Magnets
Mirror for purse
Night light
Note cards, Note pads/list pads
Organizer
Pencils
Pens
Photo album
Picture frame
Pin
Potpourri sachet
Puzzle
Recipe box
Recipe cards
Shower gel
Socks (slipper socks for around the house)
Stickers
Sticky notes
Tea

Smarter is better than harder...

My smart husband reads my blog on a daily basis. He read my previous post about the gloves and said to me, "Well, if you would have turned one of them inside out, it would have fit right."

Too bad he wasn't around to give us that advice. It certainly would have been easier!

But then again, I don't know if either my mom or myself would have put the "dirty" side of the glove next to our skin, and cleaned with the fleecy side of the glove out. Hmmmmm

Mom? would you have???

Two Left Gloves

Doesn't sound very comfie, does it? I've been using gloves to wash my dishes with lately (trying to keep my hands in decent shape! This weather does bad things to my hands!) and as I was washing my dishes a few nights ago, I recalled an incident that happened when I was around 15 years old.

My mom and I cleaned house for an old lady and her adult son. The house was kind of yucky. We put our gloves on before we even got in the house! One day when we went, we discovered that we had 3 left gloves and 1 right glove. It was my fault, since I had grabbed the gloves. We weren't about to clean without the gloves (did I mention we even used them to vacuum? hehehe). So we took turns having a set of gloves. My mom cleaned half the time with two left gloves, and I took them for the last half.

They weren't comfortable at all! The expression "fits like a glove" is true. The right hand is made a little differently than the left hand! =)

A pet peeve of mine...

Tonight Kevin and I went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner--their cheese fries. Even though it's an appetizer, it's quite filling.

Anyhow, the waitress was one who uses "we" frequently. "How are we doing tonight?" (Ummmm....WE are doing fine, how 'bout you?) "Are we getting low on drinks?" (Ummmm...you aren't drinking out of my glass are you???). She was a sweet gal, and did a good job waiting our table, but that "we" thing is just a little annoying!

Is that something waiters/waitresses are trained to do? It seems more and more common.

Well, "we" enjoyed our cheese fries tonight! ;-)

And the mystery dinner was...

Steak, kabobs (mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes), and twice-baked potato casserole.

MMMMMMMMMM It was so good!

How popular is your last name?

Kim posted this website a while ago. It's fun to see how popular your last name is in the United States. Click on: The Sweetest Sound and type in your last name. My maiden name was in the 4000 range, which actually surprised me. I didn't expect it to be that common. My married name came is in the 700 range. So if it's so popular, why do people always want to misspell it? =)

A Mystery

That's what dinner is: a mystery. At least, for me it is! Kevin just called me and said he's making dinner. Since he has to get the ingredients, he will be home later than usual. I have NO idea what he is making!

I'm painting again

I decided to get the hallway done. It's right off the kitchen, and leads to the bathroom, so I'm painting it the same color as the kitchen (a creamy buttery yellow).

I told Rebecca that I love to paint, and she actually called me a liar! *GASP* LOL Well, in this case, I do believe she was right. I do not like to paint. I'm too much of a perfectionist, and too bad of a painter to get it done the way I want it done. Oh well.

This morning I'm going to put another coat of primer on it. The previous owners painted it a muddy greyish brown. (And I might add that they didn't paint with my standards! There is paint splashed all over the woodwork.) The kitchen took four coats of paint to cover, so I'm assuming this will be the same.

I need to hurry up and get it painted because all our coats are in a heap on the recliner. We don't have a coat closet, so this hallway doubles as one during the winter.

I'm skipping off to have fun in paint land! *Grin*

Playing with fire

Well, maybe that should be "playing with candles". :-)

When I was little, my mom got drippy candles several years in a row. She remembered them from when she was little. Her mom had used them at Christmas time, and she had such fond memories of them, that she wanted to give us the same memories.

What she wasn't counting on was sibling rivalry. BIG time sibling rivalry. You see, the candles never dripped as much as the box showed. When they would drip, it was a huge deal. The person who could not see the dripping ended up feeling quite left out. So they would turn the candles in order to see the drip. Then the fighting would break out.

Finally my mom issued a decree that no one was to breath on, blow on, or touch the candles. That was great. We obeyed. Then came Dad. Of course, he was under no such stipulations, and he would bump the table to get them to drip. When that didn't work, he would take his fork and make a little indentation to get the candles to drip. We loved it when Dad was at the table (at supper time--we burned them at both lunch and dinner--I suspect it was to get rid of them as fast as possible)! Hahaha

Several years ago, I saw a box of these candles, and thought I'd burn them at Christmas. I forgot about them each year for several years. This year, I finally remembered them.

Kevin and I are having great fun with them. For the most part, they are pretty drippy on their own, but a little table shoving and blowing on them helps them along quite well. LOL Even though my candles were together in a box, they are burning differently, as you can see from the picture.

It's a Snowglobe outside

Shake up a snowglobe, and it will look exactly like what it looks like here. The snow is falling fast, in huge, soft clumps. It's beautiful! But...I did forget my boots today. This California girl isn't used to the boot thing. *Grin*

"Normal"

When things are going haywire, or things are just stressful, or new, or different, I make sure I have two things: a book and a project. If I have those two things, I feel somewhat normal in the midst of what I'm going through.

Whenever I've moved, the second place I find is the library. (The first place I look for is a grocery store! Food is slightly more important than a good book!)

When something is up, I find something I can crochet, or more recently, something I can knit. It keeps my hands busy during my spare time (however little of it I may happen to have at the time).

When we had just moved to a new church in California, I was way in over my head with things to do. I didn't find the library for three weeks--after the dust from moving had finally settled. I found a good book, and I got started on a doily.

Some people turn to food--they have to have their chocolate, for instance. Now, I like chocolate, don't get me wrong! But it doesn't do for me what a good book will do! :-)

Wedding present

I'm showing off again. *Grin* I love to make things with my hands, and I love to share what I've made with others.

When Kevin's mom got married, I wanted to give her something very special. This was my gift to the happy couple (click on the picture to enlarge it):



This was a fun project to complete. I bought it as a kit, and the kit included beads and gold thread. The gold thread that came with the kit didn't really work, so I bought something else to use, which worked up much nicer than it would have with the thread from the kit.

What's wrong with the picture?

OK--the blogger spell check has left out a few important words.

Blog
Blogs
Blogger

Um, those are words now, right? I spell-checked my last post, and it was wanting to change "blog" to "bloc" (What is a "bloc" anyhow???).

Hmmm...their dictionary is so obsolete. LOL

Christmas posts

Rebecca is posting facts about Christmas this month. I've been watching her blog for new updates--learning this way is easier than finding the facts myself. *grin*

Holly wrote about cutting out snowflakes, and posted an interesting website, where you can go to get patterns for your snowflakes. They have many different ways to cut them out. I always enjoyed cutting snowflakes out when I was a kid (and even as an adult--but I did it under the guise of "helping" a child! Hehe).

Melody also posted a snowflake website. This one is neat, it is animated, and goes step by step.

Me? I'm sipping hot apple cider, reading every one else's blogs. *smiles* My Christmas enthusiasm started earlier this year, for some reason. I haven't seen too many bloggers writing about Christmas stuff.

So far this year, I've got my Christmas tree up, and the decorations around the house. Oh yeah, I forgot. I bought lights and wrapped them around my bed. It's so pretty. That was my creativity for this year! I'm still hoping to get a garland for the doorway in between the living room and dining room, but I haven't had the chance to go shopping for it yet.

Tree Trimming

In the comments of this post my sister Holly said:

We haven't gotten our tree yet, but hopefully we will this week! I haven't helped decorate our tree for three years now, so I'm looking forward to the "mad dash"!:-) YOU know how it goes!!!

Yes, I know how it goes! All the ornaments were packed in one box. As soon as the box came down, everyone scrambled to find their own ornaments, and then the "mad dash"--to put all your ornaments on the most prominent tree branches! (who wants their special ornaments hanging on the wall side of the tree???)

One "special" year, we got our tree on the 21st of December. We put it up. And took it down and put the lights back on, and redecorated. And again. And again! The problem was a little monkey of a sister who was hiding behind the tree, twisting the lights in the sockets, till the lights would all go out. So then we'd take the ornaments down, take the lights down and find which light was burnt out.

Now of course, my parents didn't realize what the problem was until the last time around. Otherwise, it would have been dealt with!

We kids had had enough of tree trimming for three years! So the day after Christmas, the tree came down! It was up for 6 days, and totally redecorated 3 times.

And then, how could I forget OUR first Christmas tree? Kevin and I had been married just six months, and we went and got a real tree. Mmm, smelled so good. We had a good time putting up our tree. We went to bed. About ten minutes later, we heard a loud sound from the living room that would indicate the tree had fallen over. Now, since I didn't have to do anything about getting the tree back up, I thought it was terribly funny, and laughed my head off. However, the person putting the tree back up didn't think it was so funny.

The next year, I bought a fake tree. I figured it would be easier to deal with than a real tree. The following summer, we were moving, and didn't have room for the tree. In July, I listed the tree in a circular that had free listing. I had about four or five calls on it, but the lady who called first got it. I thought we had paid $40 for it, so I asked for $25. As Kevin was carrying it down to the car, he spied the price tag on it (and took it off, hoping there weren't any others on it!). $19.88. OOOPS. I made a profit! LOL

The next year we bought another fake tree, but we've just kept it. It may not be fancy, but it's nice enough for something that is only out one month of the year!

Who Will Win???

OK I admit it. I watch The Biggest Loser every single Tuesday night. That is my one and only show that I watch on tv. The rest of the time, I don't even care what's on. I started watching it about 6 or so weeks ago, and have been hooked ever since.

Tonight one of thee people is going to get $250,000 for losing the most weight. So if you watch, who do you think will win? Matt? Suzi? Seth? I'm rooting for Suzi!

Mmmmm...pumpkin pie!

Last Wednesday night, I made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving--totally from scratch, even the pumpkin. Well, the evaporated milk was canned. But the pumpkin was cooked and pureed, and made into a pie. Even the whipped cream was from cream that I whipped. (Would Martha be impressed? Probably not, because I burnt the sweet potatoes while I was baking the pie. LOL)

It was so good that I made another one tonight. I told Kevin that I was making him a pumpkin pie. He contradicted me and said that I was making it for myself too. Well, he was right. *grin*

Someone I know *ahem, no names called!* said that the first time she tasted pumpkin pie, she was a teenager at a ladies meeting. She didn't like her pie. So she threw it out the window. Ohhhhh I laugh each time I think of that. This same lady *ahem, still no names mentioned* also threw a white chocolate bunny into her neighbor's yard from her bedroom window(of course this was when she was little). It's too bad the neighbor was also the person who gave her the bunny! Hehehe

Oh well, I guess I got off the subject. :-) I love pumpkin pie! It's one thing I won't fling out a window! Now, take peas, for instance....those are worth throwing out a window! Hahaha

Have a great day, everyone!

A tromp through the snow

Last night after 10, Kevin and I went for a walk. It was so pretty outside! It was still snowing some, and the ground was covered in snow. We walked down to the park, and walked up the hill. Several kids and adults were sledding (and now we want to get a sled too!). I love going outside at night when there is snow on the ground, since it's so light out!

This afternoon, the weather has warmed up and all our snow is melting away! We have the sweetest neighbors next door--they have a snow blower, and they did our sidewalk too! Yesterday morning, they went four houses down with their snowblower! I also noticed that they shoveled a path for the mail carrier, since she walks across the lawn. It's nice to have such sweet neighbors.

A tree full of memories

Last night Kevin and I put our Christmas tree up. We've never put the tree up so early, but then, we've never been home for Thanksgiving either. We played Christmas music for the first time this year, and sang along. :D

Our Christmas ornaments are not beautifully coordinated by color or theme. Rather, they are each a memory. We have a few from Kevin's childhood, and a few from mine. One of my favorites is a little stuffed lion from my K-2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Neumann.

Another one that holds special memories is the ceramic candle ornament that my great-grandma made for me.

Each year, for many years, my grandparents (my mom's parents) have given me an ornament. Since we've been married, they give Kevin an orament each year too. That means we have 5 baseball players on our tree. :)

Each year as I unwrap the ornaments, I am reminded of the circumstances of when I received them. I have many happy memories hanging on my Christmas tree!

Berri-Good Bigelow Tea

I'm sitting at the computer sipping a cup of Berri-Good tea. Mostly I'm ignoring my dishes and laundry that need to be done...but I am enjoying this new tea!



Beverage Online says:

Introducing an entirely new concept in tea drinking, R.C. Bigelow, a major innovator in tea for more than 60 years, has created an exciting new line of herb teas flavored with real fruit juices. A patented technology produces a proprietary process of encapsulating real fruit juices so they can be married with a blend of natural herbs to make teas bursting with real fruit juice flavor. And Bigelow Fruit Juice Herb Teas are packed in foil-wrapped tea bags so consumers can take them wherever they go!

I don't really taste the "juice" in the tea. I guess I was expecting a cup of juice, and I got a cup of tea. LOL I know that I'll enjoy the tea though, and since I drink at least a cup a day, it's nice to have a good variety of herbal teas!

Mr. and Mrs.

Kevin's mom got married on Thursday, November 17th! It was a beautiful wedding, and we were so glad we got to be there!

Here is a picture of Kevin's mom and I in the room where she got ready:


I have never cried at a wedding before...but hearing Kevin's mom say "I LaVonne..." just started my tears. :-) I was just so happy to hear those words! Happy for her, happy for Hank (her new hubby).

Here's a picture after the ceremony:


Kissy, kissy:


Kevin and I before the ceremony:



The cake that a friend made:

Do not congregate...

Yesterday morning on our flight to Washington, the pilot made a pre-flight annoucement. In that announcement, he asked that passengers not "congregate in or around the lavatories." Little sleep and the ridiculous thought of "congregating" IN the tiny bathroom gave me the giggles. :-) So much so, that the passenger next to me commented to Kevin, "That sure struck her funny bone."

Today's the day!

Kevin's mom gets married today!!!

It's 8:20 here in Washington, but I've been up since 4:20 this morning--I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. and got a good night's rest. Since we're only here for a few days, I want to try to stay adjusted to MY time zone.

We've been "partying" since 4:30 this morning...Kevin's mom couldn't sleep (hmmmm...think she's excited or something?), and of course Kevin and I were up early, and also Kevin's aunt (from Iowa). So we've been having a grand old time together. :-)

I'm looking forward to the wedding this afternoon. We just met Hank yesterday, and it's neat to see how in love Hank and Kevin's mom are. :-) We're so happy for them!

I may not be around for a while...

I am filling in as receptionist for two days (Monday and Tuesday) at Kevin's work, and then on Tuesday, we are leaving directly from work to head to Chicago. We'll be staying with my uncle and aunt, and then flying out in the morning to go to Kevin's mom's wedding.

We are so excited for the happiness Kevin's mom has found, and very happy that we are able to go to the wedding! The wedding will be on Thursday, and we'll be flying home Saturday.

My week will be busy!

Messages in my bulk mail

*Sigh* There's a reason why all these e-mails go to my bulk e-mail folder. I don't know how or where they get my address...but they have it!

*Be a cop.
*Donate a car to improve taxes, reputation, and self-confidence!
*Call center options for your business.
*Take the next step Tammy
*Find vacation heaven with a time share!
*New 2006 models have arrived
*Become a travel agent in just one week
*Betty Crocker Online Shopping The Finishing Touch For Any Occasion
*Betty Crocker Online Shopping Celebrate in Style This Holiday

Am I interested in any of these "offers"? No, not in the least. That's why I clicked "empty folder". :)

A bug bit me!

The scrapbooking bug, that is! I have always said that when I have children, I will do scrapbooking. However, I realize that day may not ever come, so I have decided to go ahead and do scrapbooking. I have two whole pages under my belt. :) It's fun! I found the best scrapbooking store I've ever seen. It's huge, and has everything you would ever think of, need, or want for scrapbooking!

The store has a cropping room, which looks like it would be fun to use. When I went they were having a sale on their clearance items--75% off. Some of what I purchased was clearance, but mostly it was regular price. Their prices aren't too high, for the paper and stickers. I want to get an album, and I was looking in Wal-Mart, and they have some nice albums for around $10, which is much cheaper than this store.

Now that I have a digital camera (that takes wonderful pictures), it will be even more fun to scrapbook! I took some of my pictures in to Wal-mart to be developed, and I was amazed at the quality of the prints from the digital. They are so sharp and the colors are rich. (Thank you, Kevin! :) )

My new name =)

Which Jane Austen heroine are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Elinor Dashwood. You're Elinor Dashwood, the "sense" of Sense & Sensibility! You tend to hide your emotions, but you feel deeply. You also feel obligated to carry the burden of keeping everyone in your family under control.

Which Jane Austen heroine are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Lunch with a friend

This afternoon I had a friend over for lunch. About a month ago, she'd had me over for dinner (while Kevin was taking an evening class), and I wanted to have her over.

She has a little one year old baby, and he just started walking a few weeks ago. He was into everything, but his mom brought toys for him, so he did pretty good. He got a little rebellious when she wouldn't let him play with the tv/vcr, but after diverting his attention, he left it alone!

I made Italian vegetable beef soup and biscuits. I was going to make a salad, but I ran out of time. Oh well. Soup was enough. :) I didn't have anything for dessert either. I need to leave myself more time when it comes to having people over. I always underestimate how long it will take to get things done, and then I'm rushed at the end, and praying they will be late. LOL

States I've been in

(Click on the map to see it larger)


create your own personalized map of the USA

Some of the bottom states were a guess, since I was little when we went through them. We moved from Ohio to California when I was 9. There are probably more states that I've been in--I was born in South Carolina (and don't remember it!) and I know we drove from SC to Ohio. However, I just don't know which states those were!

Thanks to Mrs. Happy Housewife for the link!

Ten-Three-Thirty

My Aunt Jeannie posted about "10-3-30" and I liked the idea so much I will be doing it too. Click here to read what she has to say about it.

In a nutshell, you spend:

Ten minutes
Three times a day for
Thirty days

meditating on one one or more Bible verse(s).

The verse I have chosen for this month is Psalm 143:10. "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."

I may or may not be able to meditate on it three times a day, but I plan on doing it at least once a day. I found a blank notebook, and I'm writing down ways God has spoken to me through this verse.

I'm looking forward to this 10-3-30 challenge!

If you want to join me in it, let me know what verse you are doing! I'd be interested to know.

Time Change/Battery Change

We changed back to regular time yesterday. I've heard to change your batteries in your smoke alarm when the time changes. So this morning, we checked the smoke alarm. It didn't have a battery in it! We had the right battery, so it now has a battery in it. I'm glad I remembered to check it! Having a working smoke alarm is important!

Bonfire!

Tonight we went to a bonfire after church. A couple in our church has it every year at their home, and invites all the people from church over.

We were supposed to bring hotdogs, buns, and a snack. I was going to make cookies or something, but I got distracted this afternoon and cleaned off the desk and did a lot of filing, so I forgot about it. But I did take hotdogs and buns!

We had a really nice time, and stayed later than we thought we were going to stay. I talked to a lady for quite a while, and was really enjoying the conversation, when Kevin came to tell me it was time to go. So *sniff* I said good bye. :)

Now that we're home, and away from the fire, my clothes don't smell too good. The smoky smell at a bonfire isn't bothersome, but once you're away from it, the lingering smell on your hair and clothes doesn't smell too good.

Bonfires are fun. :) It's the only time people want to eat burnt food! haha

20 Things About Me Tag

Here are the rules: Write 20 random facts about yourself then tag the same amount of people as minutes it takes you to write the facts.

I haven't been "officially" tagged, but since both Holly and Rebecca have done it, I figured I might as well too. =)

1. I got a flute from my parents as a high school graduation present. Yes, I can play it. No, I haven't played it for a long time!
2. I have taken typing tests and gotten up to 90 wpm. If I'm going for accuracy, I need to slow down to about 65-75 wpm.
3. I wear size 7 1/2 shoes.
4. Last winter I learned that 30 degrees can feel warm! This discovery was made after a week of below 0 weather.
5. Kevin proposed to me on a ferry which was crossing the Puget Sound. I wasn't expecting it, because I thought he hadn't asked my dad :) .
6. I'm turning 29 in a few days.
7. My glasses are the first thing I find in the morning. I don't get out of bed till they are on.
8. I love to read.
9. Kevin and I met at my church. My pastor introduced me by saying I was a crazy driver.
10. I'm not a crazy driver. =)
11. I taught school for one year at a small Christian school (2003/04 school year).
12. My all-time favorite movie is The Shop Around the Corner, starring Jimmy Stewart.
13. I'm 5 feet and 1/2 inch tall. That 1/2 inch is important. ;)
14. I like to write with blue ink the best. Black will do if it's the only thing around.
15. People always say I look young, usually they say 13 years old. I think I've grown up a little--the picture in this post is me on my 13th birthday. But then, when I was 13, people thought I was 6 or 7. Everyone says I'll appreciate it when I'm older. Huh, I'm tired of people thinking I look like a kid!
16. My first ever trip to the emergency room was last month, for my finger slicing event. I'll stay out of the emergency room from now on, thank you. It's not a fun place to wait.
17. The first baseball game I ever watched was with Kevin, after we were married. He had to explain everything to me. (I never cared about sports at all--and having 7 sisters who didn't either, I knew nothing about most sports!)
18. I love Boyds bears.
19. I decorate my kitchen in apples.
20. I don't care to paint, especially cupboards!

If you're reading this, and you have a blog, consider yourself tagged! :) I didn't pay attention to how long it took me to do this. Besides, it took a while, so I doubt I know enough bloggers to tag.

My Busy Day

I knew that today was going to be busy....I had an appointment at 9 and another one at 2.

The morning appointment was an interview at a temp agency. The office was very busy (which is a good thing!), and when I arrived home, I had a message from the lady who interviewed me saying there was a part time position that had just come in! I don't know if I'll get the position or not, but it's encouraging to have the possibility!

After my interview, I went next door to a thrift store that I had noticed when I pulled in the parking lot. It was a big store, and run by a local mission. I have to say that even in the midst of old clothes and furniture, I saw a Christian testimony. This thrift store is the cleanest, nicest thrift store I've ever been in, and it didn't smell! Thrift stores are usually so stinky. They had free coffee and hot chocolate in the back, and free pamphlets on salvation at the register. I was really impressed. While there, I got a set of brass candlesticks, a Rudy Atwood record, and a flannel shirt. I need to get some brass cleaner for the candlesticks. I have the perfect spot for them.

Then I stopped by the grocery store and got chicken breasts. They were $1.49 a lb. (boneless, skinless). I got $20 worth.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jog--for a short time to heat up my soup and have lunch. I jumped on the computer and said a quick "hi" to my sister and sister-in-law. (That's called multi-tasking. *grin*)

My 2 o'clock appointment was for an "orientation" at another temp agency, for a job assignment I'll be doing next week. I'll be doing registration at a woodworking convention. I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to it anyhow. I've done registering at conventions in the past, and have always enjoyed it.

And then, I went by my regular grocery store, and picked up the rest of my groceries. Afterwards , I went to the fabric store to see if they had a particular fabric I've been looking for. They didn't. So I came home. And crashed. All that running around is wearisome!

A Cleaning I go...

In just a little bit, I'm heading out the door to go clean a house. The house I'm cleaning belongs to co-workers at Kevin's job. I started two weeks ago, and clean every other week.

Last week it took me five hours to clean, and I hope that it takes way less time this week! We shall see!

Memories

I'm not sure exactly what is being done, but our road is getting torn up. Well, not technically "torn up" because the workmen have cut huge circles out of the black top, so there is reason to what looks like a mess!


It reminded me of my honeymoon. Kevin and I stayed in a cottage near the ocean (someone in my church let us use it rent-free!). We woke up the first morning to "beep-beep-beep"--the sound, we thought, of the garbage truck. However, after hearing this beeping sound for quite a while, we went and looked out the front window. It wasn't a garbage truck! It was a work crew tearing out the road!

We could have gotten out with our car, I'm sure, but it would have been quite a hassle. Instead, we chose to walk down to the beach. From there we walked into the town, and did some window shopping and got lunch. We had a nice day together.

The next morning, we were getting ready to leave, and they hit a water main. That was pretty funny, especially since the water was spurting across the street, and not into our yard. The work crew made it possible for us to get out with our car. In our honeymoon scrapbook, I have two pictures of this torn up road, and the water spurting all over the place.

Isn't it funny how things like this can turn into good memories? Kevin and I still laugh and talk about it today!

My Pretty Flowers

A week ago last Friday, Kevin came home with some beautiful flowers for me! I've enjoyed them so much over the last week and a half. Isn't my hubby sweet? :)

My kitchen curtains

Last Saturday, I finally finished my kitchen curtains. Actually, the valance is all that needed to be changed; the curtains have been finished for quite a while.

The valance I made was not wide enough, and didn't have any gathers in it. I bought extra fabric and extended the valance. It's nice and full now!

Before:

After:



The curtains are actually a pair of pillowcases that were trimmed with lace. I have never used them, and I found them when I was looking through a stack of linens and curtains. They were the perfect length. All I had to do was open them up, sew the side hems, and hem the top. I sewed rings along the top, which makes the curtains easy to open and shut.

A Lesson in Hospitality

An older couple in our church invited us over to their house for lunch today. It was a very nice meal, and a delightful time of fellowship. They had also invited another couple as well as us.

The meal was very good. When I have company, I can never think of what to make, and usually end up making a main dish, vegetables, rolls, and maybe dessert--if I'm in the mood to make dessert. :) But she had really outdone herself--baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, a vegetable dish, rolls, cranberry salad, and a jello salad. It was all delicious! For dessert, she made carrot cake, and put two slivers of raw carrots on the top. It looked really cute!

Since Kevin and I have been in our new church, we've been in three people's homes for dinner, and when Kevin had a class one evening, I was invited over to one of the ladies' houses for dinner. Having people over is almost rare these days, and it has indeed been rare for us to be invited over to someone's home, but this church has proved itself to be very friendly and hospitable!

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
There came a big spider,
Who sat down beside her.
And frightened Miss Muffet away!

I feel sorry for our neighbors across the street! They were attacked by a huge spider, and their yard is a mess--spider webs all over the place! I sure hope the spider doesn't come across the street to our house!

Further down the street, a neighbor was attacked by a spider that spins purple webs. Again, I hope that spider doesn't come to our house!

Spiders and spiderwebs are popping up all over the city. You'd think that people would clean up the webs. After all, 11 months out of the year we kill spiders and sweep the webs away.

What is it about October that makes people leave those nasty webs alone? Since 1805 people have been reading "Little Miss Muffet" and have been running from spiders just as poor Miss Muffet. Why not now? Why not in October?

Ahhhh, I have a strong dislike for Halloween decorations. I know in fact, that the "spider" who spun the webs will not be spinning them around my house! I'll enjoy my pretty fall decorations and leave the ugliness of Halloween alone. I've never understood Halloween decorations--and these days they are getting bigger and more expensive. For only $100 one can get a huge blowup yard decoration in the shape of a cat (that would deflate in a hurry when a *real* cat clawed at it!). What is the purpose for having a huge black cat in your front yard? (Aren't black cats supposed to be bad luck???) When I was a kid, one house on a block might be decorated. Now it's every other house that is decorated. What is the attraction to spending money to decorate for this holiday? I don't get it.

Oh well. I'm done ranting now! :)

Dishes at 10:30

I really, really procrastinate on my dishes. However, since I don't like getting up to a sinkful and counterful of dishes, I do make sure that they are done before I go to bed. The results of such resolution are that I'm up doing dishes at 10:30 p.m. most nights. I don't like doing them at that time (well, I don't like doing them any time!), but at least they get done before the day is over.

Oh, sigh...I just finished my dishes. Someone needs to stop procrastinating. (Hint...that's me!) =)

Winter Squash

I'm really enjoying winter squash this fall. It is such a good-for-you food, as well as very tasty. A friend told me she eats it raw, so I thought I'd try it, but my little taste ended up in the sink. =)

I just cut it up and steam it, or put it in a dish with some water in the oven (if I have something else baking). Last night, I cut up a squash and put it in the slow cooker on low, and it was ready for breakfast. What a yummy breakfast!

Squash is also a cheap food. Last Wednesday we stopped at a stand on our way to church and I got five squashes, several bell peppers, and a bag of apples all for $5.20. That's a lot of food!

I haven't tried any recipes yet that use squash. I just like to eat it plain with a little butter. However, I'm thinking of branching out and trying something a little different.

One squash I haven't bought this year is spaghetti squash. That is a fun squash to cook. :) I love trying all kinds of different squashes!

Something a little different

On Sunday afternoon it's nice to come home from church to a waiting meal, but that often doesn't happen, because I don't plan on it. Or if I do plan on it, I get rushed for time, and don't end up getting the meal in the slow cooker.

I recently subscribed to Large Family Logistics, which is a schedule reminder similar to Fly Lady. I'm still "tweaking" it to fit my schedule and cleaning needs. One of the reminders she sends out every week is to get ready for Sunday. One of the things she suggests is to put a meal in the crock pot, and stick it in the refrigerator. In the morning, you just pop it in the cooker, and when you come home from church--a nice hot meal is ready and waiting!

So I did that Saturday evening. One of my favorite cookbooks is Fix it and Forget it, a crock pot cookbook. I've tried lots of different recipes from this cookbook, and most of them have turned out delicious! (I say "most" because there have been a few that went over like a lead balloon! :) )

It worked great, and I know that I will be using this part of the schedule most Sundays.

~~~~~~~~~
On another subject, I'm so happy! My fingers are healed to the point that I can now do my needle crafts. :) Yay!!! My ring finger is still quite sensitive, but I am able to use it a little bit now. For instance, just within the last few days, I started typing with it again. I've been using my pinky finger for all the ring finger letters. Not very easy to do, but my pinky finger adjusted quite nicely. :)

(And if you don't know what I'm talking about, read this post.)

Lazy Saturday

Today is one of those sleep-in Saturdays. We didn't have anything planned for today, so we're not doing anything! Well, actually, Kevin is getting ready to go get an oil pan. He's going to change the oil on his truck. That was planned for today. I do have things I need to get accomplished today, but I haven't started any of them yet. It feels good to have a "lazy day" every once in a great while!

Uh Oh...I've been tagged!

I had to think for this one! Thanks, Susan, for the tag!

5 Things I Plan to Do Before I Die:

1. Become a better Christian
2. Grow a vegetable garden
3. Learn more about gardening
4. Practice my flute, and learn to play it well
5. Memorize more Scripture

5 Things I Can Do:

1. Sew
2. Knit & crochet
3. Cook
4. Put up produce (freeze, can, dry)
5. Teach myself a new craft

5 Things I Can’t Do:

1. Cartwheels (I used to be able to kind of do them)
2. Whistle loud
3. Sing a solo
4. Speak another language
5. Talk on the phone and instant message someone else :)

5 Things That Attracted Me to My Husband:

1. His sense of humor
2. His voice
3. His personality
4. His love for the Lord
5. How he treated me

5 Things I Say the Most:

1. "Obviously"
2. "The thing is"
3. "I love you" (all the time--to my hubby!)

Sorry, I can't think of any others! I'm sure I have things I say all the time, but I can't think of 5 right now!

5 Celebrity Crushes:

Here, I have to honestly say I've never had "crushes" on any celebrity. I didn't grow up with much tv, and it was only after I got married that I started to know celebrity by their names.

Some of my favorites now (can you tell I like old movies?):
1. Jimmy Stewart
2. Cary Grant
3. Irene Dunne
4. Jean Arthur
5. Humphrey Bogart

5 People I’d like to tag:

1. Corene
2. Erin
3. Rebecca
4. Lydia
5. Sarah

Yesterday's Project

Yesterday I made a grapevine wreath. I'm happy with the way it turned out, and I'll have fun decorating it later on. The vines still need to dry out first, since most of them are still a little green. I haven't made a grapevine wreath in years, and making it took me on a little stroll down Memory Lane.

My dad farmed 10 acres of grapes when we first moved to California. I remember running through the fields, spending hours playing outside. We kids also helped a lot out in the fields, doing various tasks for my dad. I say we helped "a lot" but actually, it probably wasn't that much. =)

One of the things we learned to do was make grapevine wreaths. I made several, and my grandparents asked me to make a large wreath for their back porch. It hung out on their back porch for quite a few years.

I got the vines from an interesting source. I belong to my city's Freecycle group, and one of the members posted that she had grapevines she needed rid of. I thought it would be fun to make a wreath, so I responded to the offer. Kevin and I went out to her house on Monday night, and got what I thought was a lot of vines. However, by the time I got done with my wreath, I had used them all.

I'll post a picture of the wreath after I get it decorated...which may be a while. =)

Standing in the Corner

Yes, that's me! Standing in the corner--but I promise I haven't been naughty, not one little bit! It's a special corner--just one corner in my living room, that I like to stand in, and only at specific times. You see, there is a heater vent in that corner, and I stand over it when the heat comes on. It sure warms me up! =)

Last Wednesday I talked about our hot fall weather. The next day the thermometer dropped from 85 to 55. Brrrrr...It's been in the 50's during the day, and the high 30's during the night. I was expecting a little more of a transition! Oh well!

The part of fall I am enjoying is the leaves that are turning. Fall is a colorful time of year!

Prepositions and Insulation

When I was learning prepositions in school, my dad would tell me, "A preposition is anything an airplane can do to a cloud."

Well, I have a new one! "A preposition is anything insulation and a blower can do in a bathroom."

We knew we needed insulation in our attic when we bought our house. Kevin went to Home Depot today and bought 20 bales of blow-in insulation. With the purchase of the insulation, we got the blower rental free.

We have steps going up to the attic, but part of the roof structure comes over the staircase, so there wasn't room to get the blower up to the attic. *sigh* Since we have a vent in the bathroom up to the attic, the hose from the blower was able to go up the vent.

So...back to our prepositions. Let's see...

Over the shower curtain
Through my mask
Up my nose
On the walls
In the toilet
Under the door

Basically, all over the whole bathroom! What a mess!!!

However, I'm thankful for the insulation in our attic. Hopefully it will help our gas bill this winter!

Something silly

My sister Holly sent this in an e-mail to me, when I had been married just a few months. I wonder if she'll even remember it? I was looking through my files on the computer, cleaning things up a bit, and came across it.

The following "touching story" is just part of the e-mail she sent me. The whole e-mail was making fun of all the e-mails that crowd our inbox--all those ridiculous forwards that everyone feels inclined to pass on.

The Bible says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." (Proverbs 17:22) Laugh a little today! The Bible says it's good for you!!!

Now here is a really TOUCHING story that will really brighten your day!


It was a really difficult day for me. The children were cranky, and I really didn't want to go out to do my shopping, but there wasn't anything in the fridge so I had to go. All the way to the grocery store I felt like I was just so alone. I had just moved to the town that I was living in and hadn't made any friends yet. My husband was working long hours and every time we were together, he would only talk about his work. I just felt like nobody loved me. Well, when I got to the store, I went to get a cart and a lady pushed me to the side so that she could get her cart first. At first I was upset, but I just figured that I should get my cart and go on. On my way to the produce I passed a cart with a little child in it and the baby reached up and pulled my hair with all his might! I screamed and tried to untangle my hair, as the mother watched, apparently unconcerned with my dilemma. As I reached for a watermelon a blind man went to rap on the melon that I had my hand on and instead of getting the watermelon, smacked my hand as hard as he could! As if that wasn't bad enough, when I handed my money to the clerk she grabbed the money out of my hands so forcefully that my arm was dislocated! Of course I was in pain, but I had to get my groceries out to the car because I had purchased some meat that needed to get home to the fridge. Would you believe it! When I was unlocking the door the bag boy let go of the cart and being that there was a incline the cart came racing toward me, slammed me into my car door. I don't remember much after that. The medics picked me up and took me to a hospital and somewhere in my delirium someone stole my wedding and engagement rings. As I was laying in my hospital bed, with IVs dripping into my arm, I realized how many people had touched my life that day. I started out the day feeling so alone, but in just those few hours so many people gave me a part of themselves. I FELT SO TOUCHED!

Needle Tatting

I got the stitches taken out of my fingers this Monday, but my fingers are still too sensitive to do any hand crafts. I thought I would share my newest craft with you today.

I've always wanted to tat. My dad always said how time-consuming and tedious it was, so that kept me away from it. (I don't believe he ever tried tatting, so I don't know how he arrived at that conclusion.)

I was in Hobby Lobby, and looking through the craft books, and saw a book that taught needle tatting. Instead of using a regular shuttle, you use a long needle to make the knots on, and then you pull it down and create the rings that are common in tatting. I was fascinated, and after a month or so, went back and purchased the book.

I started right in on it, and realized that it wasn't that hard, and it didn't take that much time (it does take time, but it's not too time-consuming.)

Here are some bookmarks that I have made. I got most of the patterns off the internet.

Fall Weather?

This year's weather has been crazy! We had a very hot and humid summer, without much of a spring, and now that it is supposed to be "fall" we thought the weather would cool down. It's still warm!

I distinctly remember last year, as soon as we turned our calendar page to October, it was cold! We used our heat almost every day in October.

I wonder when we're going to get "true" fall weather?

Pumpkins!

Last night before church Kevin and I stopped at a roadside stand. There were pumpkins and squashes galore! I picked out 3 pumpkins for our front porch, some mini-pumpkins to decorate the dining room table with and a pie pumpkin. Mmmmm…I can’t wait to cook that pumpkin. I love pumpkin!

I also got some bell peppers, and two different kinds of winter squash. They had great prices on everything. I’m glad we stopped!

Titus Two Ladies Talk, Part 3

*You don't go into marriage with the philosophy "if it doesn't work, there's always divorce"
*You go into it with the assurance of fulfilling your vow of "til death do us part."
*A most important thing for wives, as well as husbands concerning credit cards is this: Pay as you go. If you can't pay, don't go.
*Hindsight, if possible would be wonderful! If I could only relive the times I should have kept my tongue!
--Florence, widowed after 50 years of marriage

These are the scriptures I think would be so helpful if we could learn to apply them when we are first married, but sometimes seem to take so long to be able to really understand what wonderful "tools' God has given us to have a Christ-like marriage:
*"And [Christ] being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:8) Jesus "laid aside His rights and humbled Himself"--two of the most difficult things in the world to do, for if you can do this you give up your self-righteousness, pride, and your rights.
*"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Galatians 5:14) Of course we can't do these things perfectly, but in Christ we can keep working toward the goal as Paul admonished us. Even as we "press towards the mark" when we practice unconditional love, all the virtues and admonitions found in Ephesians will be attainable: patience, long suffering, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, holiness, honoring your partner, faithfulness, and faith.
--Bonnie, Married 49 years

This concludes the article. I hope it has blessed you, as it did me! I had the privelege of knowing some of these sweet ladies, and they were what they spoke! I know that since 1998, at least two of these ladies have their husbands waiting in heaven for them.

Titus Two Ladies Talk, Part 2

*If possible, the wife and mother should stay at home and raise the children.
*Don’t show favoritism.
*Do reward your children for their special efforts.
*Don’t forget to be a body busy instead of a busybody in the neighborhood. “And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.” (1 Timothy 5:13)
*Show by your example that following Christ is everything. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
—Pat, Married 52 years

*When you marry, you promise before God your commitment is “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health.”
*Never go to bed angry.
*Never quarrel with your husband in front of the children.
*Find time for you and your husband alone.
*Let your children see the love between you.
*Go to church with your children.
*Read the Bible daily.
—Sue, Married 59 years

Titus Two Ladies Talk, Part 1

A few years ago, my mom had a magazine that she published called Encouragement. She published it for several years. The next few days, I’m going to share an article that was in the first issue (November/December 1998) entitled Titus Two Ladies Talk. My mom asked my grandma’s friends to share snippets of advice, and she published them just as they wrote them down. They are such a blessing to read! Such wisdom is imparted through their words!

Titus 2:3-5 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

*Build your marriage on faith and trust in God and in one another.
*Communicate one with another.
*When problems arise, talk them out.
*Love one another
*Let your spouse know you care by the things you do for him
*In our fifty-six years of marriage, we still love each other as in the beginning of our marriage.
—Louise, married 56 years

*Invite the Lord to be a part of your marriage.
*Don’t buy what you can’t pay for, or in better words be sure you can afford what you buy.
*Remember that bickering over small things never pays. It only widens a gap between you.
*Keep your wedding vows and commitments.
*Similar backgrounds have helped our years together.
—Eleanor, Married 62 years

*Make a decision to stay married the rest of your life.
*Put your relationship above everything else.
*Do loving things for your mate.
*Put God first in your life. He is there to help with all problems.
—Neva Naomi, First marriage—55 years (widowed), Second marriage—3 years